Making progress!

Monday, in my new office. Not easy
to walk around in here!

I wasn't quite finished with my retreat when the pallets arrived from Chicago. Two of them, loaded with books and personal effects. (For the record, I saw the bill of lading and I do not have a ton of stuff!) Little by little, I unloaded the boxes and trunks, moving them to either my room or my new office (in silence, of course!). Only one problem: not enough bookshelf space. So the detachments that began in Chicago when I was packing have been renewed here in Boston now that I am unpacking.

There are already two boxes of books sitting here on the office floor to offer the community library (frequented especially by our student sisters). I'm also missing a box of books--about half my collection of the Founder's works--so a real loss (I pray the box will turn up in the Chicago basement, and soon). When those books do come to me, I may be due for another round of detachments (but not from the Founder's works). 

Tuesday, opposite the bookcases

Tuesday

In the meantime, with the help of Sr Julia and Sr Donna, the office furniture (a haphazard collection of whatever appropriate pieces were available in the basement) has been rearranged, and some of my framed items hung on the wall. (I'm waiting for the handyman's help on Monday to hang the remaining items, which are a bit on the awkward side and size.)

Friday (you can see one of the boxes
of library-destined books)

Friday, opposite the bookcases; note that the
desk has shifted (to face the Caravaggio
print); Sr Julia's advice.

Soon my little "shrine" will be set up with the relics and statues of saints that have somehow come into my care through the years--and to complete that area, I plan to cross-stitch a kind of "altar carpet" for the "steps" of the spice shelf riser that serves as the shrine platform. (That may be a while, since I also plan to design said carpet...) You can see the "shrine" location on top of the cabinet by the  window in the Friday bookcase picture.

Because you really want to know what is hanging on my wall.

In between all this, there were deadlines to meet: the sister who coordinates our digital ministry has been with her family, leaving me to get our newsletters updated and sent (with only the most cursory explanation, since I was going on retreat and she was going out the door: it  has been a baptism by fire!). Oh, and... Thanksgiving and the need for kitchen help... In the end, it's a mighty good thing I am not involved in this year's Christmas concerts (though they should be loads of fun--it's our 20th anniversary!).

There are miles to go--I have to learn our switchboard so I can take a turn on weekends and snow days when the operator doesn't come in; get acquainted with industrial cooking equipment (and industrial-sized meals for the large community) so I can help in kitchen; get the community schedule down pat. But I am glad to be here, and almost settled in. Thanks so much for your prayers and good wishes in that direction; I know it has made a real difference!

This evening, Pope Francis opens the Year of Consecrated Life, a year in which the Daughters of St Paul celebrate their own congregational centenary. Plus, with Evening Prayer on Saturday, we enter the season of Advent (can you believe it?). Honestly, I haven't given any thought to how to spend Advent this year. Maybe the very fact of being in such a big transition is Advent enough! May your Advent begin in peace as twilight falls.

Christmas Solitude: a Letter from Syria

The Maronite Archbishop of Damascus writes a sobering report as Advent begins this weekend: "our neighbors do not want us ... "


1) THE GLOBALIZATION OF WAR:

This fourth year of war in Syria offers the world a chaotic scene. 85 nationalities are already present in the fighting, add to this a coalition of 30 countries expanding violence and death for the “purpose” of fighting terrorism.

Does this heavy war machine choose the Middle East as the land of a third world war?  “A war never stops a war,” said Pope Francis on September 7, 2013. Suffering populations are subjected to violence in the name of God


 2) BEYOND THE ISLAMIC STATE:

On  June 10, 2014 (Battle in Mosul in Iraq ) a new international conflict was born.  Islamic religious sentiment broke through the borders of war, countries and people, blurring the battles and conflicts. The Islamic State military may lose the war, but what about the Islamic school of thought that triggers Muslims reaction around the world? How do we account for this reality, analyze the issues and seek to understand and interact with them?

This new source of concern for Near Eastern minorities is a major challenge to inter-religious dialogue, and of tolerance among peoples and religions. The policy of  “burying our heads in the sand” solves nothing in regard to Islamophobia.


 3) HEROES OF FAITH:

The Eastern Christians, a minority living at the crossroads of danger, are struggling to take the road of testimony.
The rise of fanaticism, insecurity, shortages of all kinds and blockades, threaten their presence and reduce their hope.

Despite this tense atmosphere, the small flock of faithful expresses unwavering, courageous and firm faith.
A new relationship to God is affirmed in silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.  They have the rosary in hand and will not easily leave the church as they are in solidarity with the poor and a long litany of martyrs, the seed of Christians. These Heroes of the Faith are the strength of the Church and the horizon of hope.


4) CHRISTMAS  SOLITUDE:
The roads that lead to Jordan, Iraq and Turkey are closed because of the fighting. The only escape that was open, until last October, was the road to Lebanon. Lebanon, a small country saturated  a million and a half Syrian refugees, began to close its borders of with Syria allowing only emergency cases.

Thus our loyal Damascus feels isolated, condemned to live in danger, and die in their “hole” cut off from their relatives and friends already living in Lebanon. This loneliness adds to the anguish, the bitter cold winter experience, the sad tenor and feeling of neglect.

A lonely Christmas through Syria.
Our neighbors do not want us as we welcome all refugees in the Near East.  Our faithful spend their Christmas celebration in the freezing cold of their “household nativity” relying on the warmth of their faith under the tender gaze of the Holy Family.


 Christmas 2014 + Samir Nassar
 Maronite Archbishop of Damascus

Christ: King and Shepherd

Today's readings for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe underline our faith in those words of the Creed "He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead." The great 15th century artist Jan van Eyck illustrates this for us using precisely the Gospel text we hear at Mass today: 

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,and all the angels with him,he will sit upon his glorious throne,and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another,as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right,'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food,I was thirsty and you gave me drink,a stranger and you welcomed me,naked and you clothed me,ill and you cared for me,in prison and you visited me.’...

There are three "realms" in the painting. The top, of course, is Heaven. Jesus appears as King, enthroned on the Cross. He is in a seated posture, his wounded feet radiant beneath the folds of his cloak. Mary and John the Baptist appear to his right and left, just as we find them in a typical Byzantine icon. As the greatest of the saints, they are not only in a more prominent position, they are shown in bigger dimensions than anyone else except Christ, but they are still firmly rooted in the community of the saints below. The Apostles are in positions of honor as the "Canons" of this heavenly Cathedral, while a choir of virgins (who, according to Rev. 14:4  "follow the Lamb wherever he goes") processes in. The words "Come, blessed of my Father" (today's Gospel) appear in gold, standing out from the red of Our Lord's cloak. (The opposite message, "Depart, accursed, into the everlasting fire" --also in today's Gospel--descends from St Michael's wings into the pit of hell at the bottom of the painting.)  

The mid-section of the painting expresses a different, but related article of the Creed: "I look forward to the resurrection of the dead." We see the bodies of the dead restored to life, and even "the sea gave up its dead" (Rev. 20:13). Some float heavenward, while others are fed, headfirst, into the pit below.

Finally, the lower realm appears, with Michael astride a colossal, seemingly winged, skeleton which serves as the gate of hell. Under the Archangel's feet, a dark tangle of forms, men and women, tonsured clerics and mitered bishops, thrash about in unending torment with myriad horrific beasts. The unremitting shadows are almost a mercy to us, since the darkness is no match for the vivid colors and detail that draw our eyes heavenward. We are not meant to dwell upon the threat of loss, but the promise of salvation. 

Despite the reality of the shadows below, van Eyck depicts Christ above all as the shepherd prophesied by Ezekiel who will tend his sheep and rescue them from every place where it is cloudy and dark, "and of his Kingdom there will be no end."

Jan van Eyck, detail from the Crucifixion/Last Judgment. From the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Happy Landings

Greetings from Boston, where the autumn leaves are still mighty lovely in this second week of November. I arrived at my new assignment Monday afternoon after a truly miserable flight (migraine all the way). The good part of arriving in the condition of a wrung-out dishrag is that it seems to really help you overcome jet lag. Although my brain seems to still be over the Atlantic somewhere, I have been able to sleep fairly well--and wake up at 5:30 without an alarm of any kind.  (I hope that keeps up once my brain gets back!) The sisters have been all smiles welcoming me to the community, and I was all smiles on Tuesday, welcoming Sister Julia as she (and a volunteer, Pauline Cooperator-candidate Pat) arrived in a rental truck from New Orleans. Sister Julia will also be stationed here, but rather than work in the publishing house, she is assigned to our bookstore in Dedham.

I've moved into a room that was readied for me, and an office that had been newly soundproofed and paimted. This week Sister Kathryn (who handles our Pauline website, online bookstore, social media and app development) gave me a rapid overview of the projects underway,

One complication that manifested itself while I was still in London was having to negotiate without a cell phone. My smartphone suffered some kind of fatal error early on the morning of Nov 2--my last day to see London! (I had to find my way to Marylebone and then to the Wallace Collection using a paper map--and had no way to take pictures of the marvels I saw in the museum.) That situation got resolved on Friday (just in time for me to go on retreat).

Yes, retreat. Sunday I begin my week of spiritual exercises, which I will be making on my own here in the motherhouse (with the help of some audio conferences by Italian theologian Father Carlo Molari). I'll just arrange my schedule to anticipate meals and stay in the quieter regions of the complex. Someone asked me what the theme of the retreat will be; I have no idea what the theme of the conferences is, but for me the theme is "new beginnings," as I am starting the retreat just one week after arriving for a new assignment. Please pray that I will be extra attentive to the Lord.

I won't be on social media (except with pre-scheduled posts), but will remember you and your intentions every day at Mass and during adoration. Please pray for me, too!

Where Time Begins

In the whirlwind surrounding my immanent transfer, I didn't get around to writing about the Saturday I spent with Sr Mary Lou, an American Daughter of St Paul stationed in the UK for 30 years. One of the items on my "little" English bucket list was to see the motherhouse of Greenwich Mean Time. I had no idea where exactly Greenwich is, but it couldn't be that far from London, right? Turns out, it practically IS in London, easily and quickly accessed through the public transit system. My "Oyster" card (prepaid transit fare) was all I needed.

Greenwich is, for all practical purposes, the historic Annapolis of England: an old-school Navy Town. Even Greenwich Mean Time has its origin in the need for ships at sea (at least those within sight of the coast) to set their clocks as an essential aid to navigation. A bright red ball is positioned on a pole on the top of the observatory building at the highest point in the area (we climbed it). At noon on the dot, the ball would descend, communicating to all with eyes to see that it was now 12:00 Greenwich Time. Since we visited while it was still Daylight Savings Time (British Summer Time, they call it here), that took place at 1:00, just minutes after we reached the gate at the top of the hill!

 Only after the hour was marked did we pay our fare (a visit to the Naval museum was included in the price) did we actually go through the gate to take a look at the Prime Meridian: longitude 0º. Behind it, the massive telescopes that had played a part in winning for Greenwich the distinction of being the place where time begins.

In the plaza, a man in 17th century costume explained the various puzzles that the Royal Observatory and its Royal Astronomers dealt with in the nearby Flamsteed House--designed by Christopher Wren as part residence, part observatory with its large Octagon Room to accommodate telescopes and a variety of clocks (including a "sidereal clock" which keeps time based on the stars, rather than the sun).

The hill also offers some incredible views of greater London. That, combined with the comfortable coastal location, led to Greenwich being a favorite royal getaway. We didn't have that much time, so rather than traipse around to all the royal haunts and chapels, we limited ourselves to seeing the Queen's House, the Queen in question being Henrietta Maria (I had never heard of her), wife of Charles I. The most noteworthy aspect of this rather plain building is the spiral staircase. Sister Mary Lou is a photographer; the staircase got a lot of attention from her. Me? I just snapped a few pictures with my phone. (As for the phone...another story, but it is no longer at my service.)

The Royal Maritime Museum had an interesting exhibit on the quest for Longitude 0, as well as the historical clocks that were part of the whole pursuit of trustworthy marine navigation. The clocks were not just intricate (and massive), they were spectacularly beautiful. Beyond the special exhibit hall (and the gift shop) were the permanent exhibits, which I did not have the energy to pursue. It was time for Sr Mary Lou to head back to the Langley community to accompany some of the senior sisters to the Vigil Mass, so we walked back toward the station. I was ready to leave, too--until I spotted the bustling market. Saying "good bye" to my faithful companion, I turned to at least walk through, see the food stalls and the crafts, and what exactly was on the other side of the market area--before pulling out my own Oyster card for the trip back to Kensington for the rest of the weekend. Time in England was running short, but at least my bucket list was, too!

The King's Good Servant

This statue stands facing the Thames,
and is positioned alongside a church
(now Chelsea Old Church) built on
the site of the former parish church
the saint's family attended. I learned
too late that there is a marble inscrip-
tion still in the church which had
been commissioned by the saint
for the place he intended for his and
his wife's burial. The original church
was bombed in WWII.

Spending as much time as I did in the "Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea," you can be sure
that I was one day going to track down the Chelsea property of St Thomas More's estate. Thomas More was an important man in my house. Dad was a lawyer, after all. In the family room, we had a small plaque of the saint; a really fine framed print of the Holbein portrait was in Dad's office (it can now be found in my brothers' law offices, though I'm not sure which brother: Thomas More--my brother, not the saint--already had a Holbein print of his patron). At any rate, I was determined somehow to find out where the More estate had once been.

Then one weekend when it was time for our monthly day of recollection, a priest came from the seminary, Allen Hall. (Allen Hall is the name of the seminary, not of the priest!) This is the successor institute to the famous Duoai seminary in France which
trained so many English men for the priesthood when it was illegal to pursue priestly studies, much less carry out a priestly ministry in England: a list of the martyred alumni can be found in the dining room. Father John Hemer, the retreat preacher that day, offered to show me the seminary, which was built on a small parcel of the land formerly occupied by, you guessed it, Thomas More's estate.

Unless you do penance...
This is the box containing the
 saint's penitential hairshirt.

When I arrived, Father was still teaching, so the receptionist led me to a parlor which was filled with Thomas More artifacts and images. A large map showed where the seminary building stood in relation to the More home (which was demolished in the 1800's to make way for the bridge to Battersea). A small wax bust, about 6 inches tall,
turned out to have been crafted soon after More's martyrdom and kept in the Roper family for generations. (More's "favorite," Margaret, was married to Will Roper.) A sealed box was labeled with this information: This is the hair shirt worn by Thomas More until the day before his execution, when he gave it to Margaret. She, in turn, gave the relic to an adopted sister, and it was passed down through the generations until one of the daughters entered the Ursuline Order, and brought the relic with her into the convent.  There were various documents signed by the saint and other memorabilia. Little did I know that there was still a living connection to St Thomas More on the grounds!

After a tour of the seminary classrooms (and lunch), Father Hemer took me to see the several gardens on the small property. We went though a small gate (a sign read: Please keep closed, due to foxes) and into another area with a gnarly old mulberry tree (the first mulberry tree I had ever seen). Evidently, these trees are survivors, and this was indeed an old mulberry tree. Possibly even 500 years old. Quite possibly the mulberry tree under which the More family would gather on pleasant evenings for conversation and learning.

As hard as I tried to send the pictures of my Chelsea afternoon to my brother Thomas, the transmissions never went through. So, even though this is a blog post, it is really in response to my brother's request that I send him some pictures from his patron saint's address. I didn't think you'd mind!

Chart of the More estate. The green rectangle is where the seminary now stands.
the avenue leading up to the Manor House is now an on-ramp for the bridge. The
whole area is primarily apartment buildings, with small businesses along the
main road at the top of the image.